CARDS: University of Texas UD 2011 HACK ACQUIRED: IP, 2024
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Nate Boyer took an interesting path to football, never having played an organized down of the sport before walking on to the University of Texas in 2011.
He spent multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq as a Green Beret before being discharged after 6 years of service.
Was the team’s primary long snapper for 38 consecutive games.
After going undrafted in 2015, he signed a free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks.
Cut before the regular season ended.
Spoke out during the wave of protests during 2016, advising Colin Kaepernick it’d be more respectful to kneel for the national anthem instead of sit.
Has been involved in film and TV.
Appeared in the 2018 movie Den of Thieves as a secret agent.
Also appeared in Mayans MC as a military contractor.
Made his directorial debut in feature film with Secret of the Sinchanee.
In 2023, began hosting the Discovery Reality show Survive the Raft.
NOTES:
I honestly wasn’t too keen on Nate Boyer appearing in person, but my friends were eager to get him on something.
Boyer didn’t have any cards produced, so I figured a hack Monumental Moments would do the trick. I think I hit this one out of the park. I changed the plain looking ‘T’ logo to the ‘UT’ one. The only real complaint I had about this card was that in the photo the stadium seating cut off near the top, and so it looks like an error to the finely trained eye.
Nate really liked the card. -In fact, everyone liked the card. It caused such a stir that the 3 extra I had included quickly got traded away and other people started asking about these cards. One of the people there who works for a local card shop traded an extra card he had made of Boyer so I could have two different cards as well. I think Mark had a nice time soaking in all that positive energy for me that day.
So I had come back to Keith in 2020 and got him on the Skybox cards, Score 89, and the Fleer 90, but then I realized I still had a couple more that I needed. Keith is a great signer- even at his affordable rate which is used for his PARK Foundation. I figured after 4 years it was ok to give him another shot on the remaining set needs.
Kony joined the Cowboys during the 2018 preseason, but was cut.
He’d then sign with the Raiders, but again would be cut before the end of the year.
The next year Kony was selected by and signed with the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL20.
With the season cancelled due to COVID after 5 games, Kony finished with 9 tackles, 2 TFL, and half a sack.
He spent a season then in the CFL with the Argos from 2021 to the end of camp in 2022.
With that it was off for a month with the Vegas Knight Hawks of the IFL.
And then finally another 3 months with the Edmonton Elks before the end of the 2022 season.
NOTES:
Well I had reloaded on Kony after meeting him in person at the Houston Roughnecks team meet and greet for season ticket holders and I was hopeful the league would pick back up in 2021 but unfortunately COVID finished off the XFL20. So I held onto this post and eventually forgot about it.
A few things about Kony. I think if he had found a spot on a team primarily as a situational starter or designated pass rusher, he might’ve stuck around longer at his different stops. It takes a genius of a DC to unlock potential and Kony had plenty of that- as evidenced in his Super Bowl 50 performance when he logged 3 sacks, forced a fumble and made an interception.
I really also relate to the big guy as he has struggled with depression after the loss of his father and sister, and while he was with the Roughnecks, he opened up about it and his battle with it.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.